The present invention relates to computer systems and, more particularly, to a method and system for estimating resource usage associated with a computer system.
Computer systems require various associated resources. For example, a computer system requires uninterrupted power to function reliably as well as air conditioning or other cooling systems to prevent the system from overheating. The amount of a given associated resource required to operate a system depends on the number and type of components in the system and the arrangement of those components. When designing the configuration of the computer system or a data center containing several computer systems, it is desirable to know in advance how much of each associated resource a computer system will require.
Information on the amount of resources that a particular system will consume is available, but such information often consists of system-level estimates for resource consumption and resource requirements that assume a particular selection of components operating at a maximum anticipated resource consumption for the system. In many systems, however, the components within the system, and their anticipated resource consumption may vary significantly. Accordingly, the estimates provided for resource requirements are often inaccurate. This inaccuracy is often an over-estimation of required resources because the components chosen to estimate system resource requirements often include a maximum number of components that have the relatively high resource requirements.
To correct for this over estimation, users often discount the resource requirement estimate, for example, by some fixed percentage. Discounting the resource requirement estimate in this manner can often be arbitrary. This may result in a data center or other facility housing a system or multiple systems that has a resource capacity that is either inadequate or unnecessarily large. The former problem presents a significant risk that the system or component may not be able to function properly. When a facility has more resources than are necessary, the valuable resources of the user are wasted.
Therefore, a need has arisen for a method of accurately estimating the amount of an associated resource required for a computer system and its components. In accordance with teachings of the present disclosure, a system and method are described for estimating resource usage for components in a particular system configuration. The system and method permit a user to access customized resource usage data for a system with a selected configuration of components.
In one aspect, a computer system for estimating resource usage of components in a particular system configuration is disclosed. The computer system includes a processor and a computer readable medium. System requirements, each of which describes an amount of an associated resource required by a particular system or component, are stored within the computer readable medium. The processor preferably receives a system configuration including a selected system and components, retrieves an appropriate system requirement associated with the system configuration from the computer readable medium, and outputs that system requirement. More specifically, the particular selection of a system configuration may be associated with a unique identifier, allowing easy retrieval of information about the system configuration.
A computer implemented method for estimating resource usage by a selected system configuration is also disclosed. The method includes selecting a system configuration including a system and at least one computer component. A system requirement, which describes the amount of an associated resource a computer system in the selected system configuration will require, is preferably retrieved from a computer readable medium. The system requirement is then outputted. The method can also extend to selecting additional components and updating previously selected system configurations.
The present disclosure presents a number of technical advantages over existing systems and methods for estimating computer system resource requirements. One technical advantage of the method and system disclosed herein is that the method and system may be readily used to assist data center design, component selection and purchase, and system upgrades. Another technical advantage is that the method and system may include a unique identifier to facilitate technical support and modifications to the system configurations. Other technical advantages will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following detailed description and claims.